OK ya’ll. Lookee here.
I’m barely hanging on and in danger of losing my almost 18 years of sobriety, but still I trudge on.
As per the Tivo tech call ending last night I waited to see if channels trickled in over the night, NO they didn’t.
Tivo Tech (TT) called me back today for a what’s up. After bad news rehashed we went to a diag screen for the cable co use. It has a waiting for auth in the cable card menu under CP Screen, TT thinks that might be it. Said to call Charter again.
Did, and went back and forth with a front line who said we don’t support Tivo, I got a little excited and she passed me on, got a Sup who acted like she didn’t care, ended up with a, we’ll send a specialist out Thur. Then kinda hung up on me.
I called back, (when you keep calling back you seem to get through faster as it, the system, recognized and asks if it’s the same problem your calling about and has it been fixed yet ) moving on
Called back and insisted I talk to a tech guy, I said I deserved at least a conversation with someone who may be able to throw switch and keep me form having to stay home a third time, AND and be assured that the same tech comes back and with more knowledge and not any tech with just anther couple of cards and a prayer. We cant we cant, do that he says, I insist and insist and get forwarded to this guy who handles “Internal Transactions” but couldn’t transfer me to a tech or dispatch. After a giggle from me, I tell him this must be the runaround, by his verbal tone without admission I get the feeling he agreed.
During this I get a call from Carla put in earlier, (from post # 58 by ckoble (THANKS), she tells me she spoke to him yesterday and told me she has been on this and it seems it might be a code from Scientific Atlanta for the card that Charter needs to know and their super duper tech guy is on it. She said feel free to call back tomorrow by the end of the day for an update. If I haven’t been contacted by then. I have Thur 1-5 scheduled, called Alfredo back and he said don’t worry I’m the one who will come and recognized this super duper tech guys name, and added he is in contact with him. So there you have it.

When you lads call Charter, be sure to specify that you want two HD Cable Cards. Most Cable Cards are SD. That could be the cause of all the anguish.

Also, it appears that Charter goes to Scientific Atlanta to program their Cable Cards. The cards should be burned with the TiVo object, not the Scientific Atlanta object.

In the meantime I will continue to use my SA 8300 HD boxes and wait for you lads to work out all the problems for me BEFORE I upgrade my S2 to an S3.

Hi lad, I don’t think you know what your talking about. So enjoy the show but PLEASES contain your impulse to share only that which is so. No info ANYWHERE FROM ANYONE WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HD CARDS.

Hi lad, I don’t think you know what your talking about. So enjoy the show but PLEASES contain your impulse to share only that which is so. No info ANYWHERE FROM ANYONE WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HD CARDS.

When you lads call Charter, be sure to specify that you want two HD Cable Cards. Most Cable Cards are SD. That could be the cause of all the anguish.

Until I called Charter to schedule an appointment (which took an hour in itself) I didn't even know there was such a thing as an HD Cablecard. Apart from costing $4.50 a month instead of $1.50 a month the guy on the phone couldn't tell me what the differences are. The (apparently) not HD card they put in my TV a few months ago decoded HD content...for a while...and then it wouldn't decode anything...and then it would decode channels 1-99 but nothing higher. One card, many personalities. I ended up with a SA 8300 box that day--and it sucks so bad that spending a grand on an S3 Tivo seems like a bargain.

I've been lurking around this thread for a few days "patiently" waiting for my S3 to arrive (it finally came today!). I have an appointment (with destiny? ... with fate? ... with a bottle of tequila & some Kleenex? ... we'll see) for installation tomorrow at my Burbank apartment between 10am & Noon. I'm grateful to everyone for sharing their experiences so far. At least now I won't be going into tomorrow's adventure blindly.

I'm going to have this thread up on my computer to simplify explanations that may be necessary. In fact, I'll probably even print it out if things don't go well so the installer can take it back to the office and give a heads-up to the rest of the Charter Installers in the area.

I'll let you know how it goes, good ... bad ... or ugly! (But I hope it doesn't get fugly!)

Hi lad, I don’t think you know what your talking about. So enjoy the show but PLEASES contain your impulse to share only that which is so. No info ANYWHERE FROM ANYONE WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HD CARDS.

I'm just throwing out IDEAS to try. I haven't seen any Charter Cable Cards reported here as working yet. Thus, some experimenting may be required to solve the problem.

If anyone finally gets some Charter Cable Cards working, it may help everyone if he posts here exactly what he did. By the way, I have Charter in CT. My 2nd HD TV is to arrive to me next week. What happens here may determine if I gamble $ 1,000 on the S3 or just get the SA 8300 HD. I am on the fence as of now.

Last edited by MitchW; 09-19-2006 at 07:48 PM.
Reason: Add a statement

CableCARDs are used for decryption and authorization ONLY! They have nothing to do with decoding the signal, and as such could care less what type of signal you receive.

Dan

That probably explains why a Google search reveals zilch on the matter. So my question is what is Charter charging an extra $3.00 a month per card for? Is it just a really hefty ignorance tax or does one actually get something of value?

I've never heard of an HD CC until MitchW pointed it out as well as Horrortaxi (thank you for the price BTW). When I called Charter to schedule a setup, they didn't even ask to pick an SD CC or HD CC. I just assumed there was only one CC. Guess I'll have to wait and see...

I'm just throwing out IDEAS to try. I haven't seen any Charter Cable Cards reported here as working yet. Thus, some experimenting may be required to solve the problem.

If anyone finally gets some Charter Cable Cards working, it may help everyone if he posts here exactly what he did. By the way, I have Charter in CT. My 2nd HD TV is to arrive to me next week. What happens here may determine if I gamble $ 1,000 on the S3 or just get the SA 8300 HD. I am on the fence as of now.

Why don’t you delete your BOGUS post about Hi def cc’s, it seems to be confusing some people and has no help at all.
It wasn’t offered as an idea that was JUST being thrown in.

Okay, I just got off a chat session with someone named Eden from Charter and asked if there was a difference in CCs. She said that there is only one CC so hopefully that helps people out and might lessen the confusion.

Okay, I just got off a chat session with someone named Eden from Charter and asked if there was a difference in CCs. She said that there is only one CC so hopefully that helps people out and might lessen the confusion.

It actually increases my confusion because it was Charter who told me there are two. I was specifically given the choice between HD ($4.50 a month) and SD ($1.50 a month) cards. I countered with my (apparently true) impression that there should only be one kind and was shot down.

I really got the impression that I was the victim of some kind of "charge you on a whim" plan or maybe it might be some kind of doublespeak to get me to ask for the wrong thing so I spend $35 for a service call plus keep leasing their (crappy) PVR. I'm going to call back and find someone who knows what they're talking about, but I was in a hurry today when I called.

It actually increases my confusion because it was Charter who told me there are two. I was specifically given the choice between HD ($4.50 a month) and SD ($1.50 a month) cards. I countered with my (apparently true) impression that there should only be one kind and was shot down.

I really got the impression that I was the victim of some kind of "charge you on a whim" plan or maybe it might be some kind of doublespeak to get me to ask for the wrong thing so I spend $35 for a service call plus keep leasing their (crappy) PVR. I'm going to call back and find someone who knows what they're talking about, but I was in a hurry today when I called.

Okay Horrortaxi. Keep us informed when you call them again. Hopefully this confusion will be cleared up.

I just finished a chat with Michael at Charter. He assures me that you need an HD card to receive HD. Actually, insists is probably a better word. He wouldn't comment on the other Charter person who said there's only 1 kind of card.

I just finished a chat with Michael at Charter. He assures me that you need an HD card to receive HD. Actually, insists is probably a better word. He wouldn't comment on the other Charter person who said there's only 1 kind of card.

That was really quick! I just wished that they all had the same answers. I guess what I might have to ask Charter for 2 HD CCs if they have it.

I just finished a chat with Michael at Charter. He assures me that you need an HD card to receive HD. Actually, insists is probably a better word. He wouldn't comment on the other Charter person who said there's only 1 kind of card.

All of a sudden someone kind of jokes about the differences between HD CARD and SD card and Walla.
You have to believe (would be an idiot otherwise) that if there was a ‘difference’ it would have been PERFECTLY CLEAR there was a ‘difference’ in Tivo’s instruction. Or would have heard about it before some random post 60 ish in a thread. Not to mention the people in other threads that haven’t had problems with a regular card.
Sorry Horrotaxi but if you had the experience I have had with ‘CSR my whole life’ you would have prefaced that comment with a disclaimer, something like “this is or might be total pooh but I heard”
But maybe you are banking on we should be aware of such unfound ridiculous rumors, re: the cards. Readers pay no attention to this crud about a difference in cards. It’s bull.

The extra $3 is strictly for the card. That's in addition to the $10 or so that the HD tier costs.

It makes perfect sense to me that if there were different cards that people "in the know" would know about them and that the Tivo instructions would mention it. What we seem to have are some, but not all, people at a single cable company saying that there is a difference. I think the simplest, and probably correct, answer is that there is only 1 card and some Charter people don't know what they're talking about. So assuming they're wrong, why would they think they're right? What do they base the extra $3 on? I know that the cable companies are little monopolies but you still can't charge for nothing, right?

I understand that you are not happy with Charter customer service since your issue with your cable card is not resolved. Further, our technician informed that he is going to the top of the food chain to determine the problem and would update you of the problem.

We apologize for the inconvenience you may have experienced. We also appreciate the email you have sent. As we are striving to improve our customer service efforts, your input is very valuable to us here at Charter. This demonstrates us the areas in which we need to improve upon. We are continually implementing new customer service standards to improve Charter, and to make you a more satisfied customer.

A check on your account indicates that you have been in contact with our Customer Support Center regarding this issue. I see that an appointment has been scheduled for September 21, 2006 to fix this issue. (Me bold this) I assure you that this problem will be taken care of by our technician.

Should you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You are a valued customer and we appreciate your patience in this regard.

The extra $3 is strictly for the card. That's in addition to the $10 or so that the HD tier costs.

It makes perfect sense to me that if there were different cards that people "in the know" would know about them and that the Tivo instructions would mention it. What we seem to have are some, but not all, people at a single cable company saying that there is a difference. I think the simplest, and probably correct, answer is that there is only 1 card and some Charter people don't know what they're talking about. So assuming they're wrong, why would they think they're right? What do they base the extra $3 on? I know that the cable companies are little monopolies but you still can't charge for nothing, right?

I also use Charter to provide my television services. I called the Charter office a few days ago and they said Cable Cards take a few days to deliver. They said the Cards had to be programmed for my SPECIFIC DEVICE. The person I spoke to said she has never heard of TiVo at all. Thus, the TiVo programming code may simply not be in their database. It is NOT the fault of Charter.

This is ********, you were fed a line. ALL host devices are the same. TiVo is no different from any CableCARD TV. All they need is the MAC address of the cable card, CableCARD ID, and Host ID. I have Charter and 2 cards in my S3.

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I doubt if any FCC regulations require IMMEDIATE compliance with new technology. It may take Charter SIX MONTHS to comply. You and I are certainly not aware of the technical requirements or the learning curves of their employees.

No, the FCC requirement wasn't IMMEDIATE. But it was established a few YEARS AGO, and compliance as mandatory as of July 2005, IIRC. So, yes, they MUST be in compliance now, period. It doesn't matter what their excuses are, the deadline is long past and they must provide the cards *NOW*.

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When you lads call Charter, be sure to specify that you want two HD Cable Cards. Most Cable Cards are SD. That could be the cause of all the anguish.

Also, it appears that Charter goes to Scientific Atlanta to program their Cable Cards. The cards should be burned with the TiVo object, not the Scientific Atlanta object.

In the meantime I will continue to use my SA 8300 HD boxes and wait for you lads to work out all the problems for me BEFORE I upgrade my S2 to an S3.

OK, you're deliberately posting ********, aren't you? You're just dicking with people to be a jerk.

1. There is no such thing as an SD CableCARD. Or an HD CableCARD. They're authentication and decryption tokens. It is a standard.

2. There is no TiVo object or SA object. CableCARD is a standard that all host devices support, including TiVo.

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I'm just throwing out IDEAS to try. I haven't seen any Charter Cable Cards reported here as working yet. Thus, some experimenting may be required to solve the problem.

You mean except for the Review I posted last Tuesday in which I mentioned I use Charter Digital Cable in Worcester, MA? Stuck they cards in, activated, done. Nothing special.

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